As we noted on the 12th, Saudi Arabia refused to renew the 50-year agreement to use the US dollar as the currency for crude oil transactions on the world market. It’s a tremendous loss for the United States. The dollar as the universal currency benefits the US the most. It is the reason for our high […] The post After Zelensky Meeting, Saudi Arabia Ditches G7, Goes to BRICS appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

The Group of Seven (G7) leaders met in Puglia, Italy. This is the 50th summit meeting of the leaders of the United States, Japan, Germany, the UK, France, Italy, and Canada. They agreed to use frozen Russian assets as collateral for a $50 billion loan to Ukraine without an audit. It will not reduce how much […] The post US Signed 10-Year Deal to Provide Ukraine’s Security Plus $50B appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

'Pretty sure I did'

No such article can be found on the NBC News website or social media accounts. 

'And you‘ve got to understand Nathan Wade has been paid more than any prosecutor in American history'

'Blame-casting act'

In Titusville, Florida, the unbelievable occurred as each of a married couple’s four daughters was named valedictorian of the same high school. Someone with probability calculations told Fox News Digital that the chance of this happening is 1 in 11 billion. Celebrations were heightened at the Rendina Household and the sense of relief was palpable […] The post All 4 Daughters Named Valedictorian of Their High School–Outsmarting the Odds of 1 in 11 Billion appeared first on Good News Network.

The post How to Give Your Cat a Bath: Dr. Karyn’s Tips (with Video) by Dr. Karyn Kanowski BVSc MRCVS (Veterinarian) appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com. Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and meet my five hilarious cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles. Cats are known to be fastidious creatures, often devoting hours of their day to grooming, so it’s not often that we have to give them a bath. However, sometimes this unfortunate task cannot be avoided, and while there are some cats who actually enjoy getting wet, the majority would prefer to stay well clear of the bathtub or shower. Grime or grease show up more easily on Clutch’s snow-white fur, so he does receive the occasional bath, which, like most things, he takes in his stride with very little protest, making him an ideal model for a demonstration. Zelda, on the other hand, is a lot more flighty and doesn’t even like being brushed, so I was less enthusiastic about taking her for a dip, but the cat litter stuck to her long furry trousers has put her in the line of bathtime fire. This does mean that I can show you how to bathe a cat, plus how to bathe a cat that is likely to put up a lot of resistance. Preparation is Key Cat bathing supplies: towels, shampoo, and a non-slip mat Assume that your bathing session is going to be a disaster – by expecting the worst, you will hopefully be prepared for all eventualities. I have found that cats settle more quickly if you place them into a tub of water and get as much of them wet as possible – if they think they can escape without getting soaked, they will fight much harder to get away, so choose a deep sink or bathtub for your scene. You should choose a small, enclosed room, with minimal jumping or hiding spots, so the bathroom tends to be the obvious choice. Move any bottles, jars, or other objects from shelves and surfaces where they could be knocked over in the event of a mad scramble, and make sure the window is secure. I recommend trimming your cat’s claws before their bath to help minimize the damage they may inflict if the situation turns ugly. Make sure you have everything you’ll need within reach of the basin/tub, but you shouldn’t need much in the way of supplies. a non-slip mat, towel, or bath mat to place in the bottom of the tub – the slippery surface can be almost as distressing as the water to your cat. cat-friendly shampoo – eg. Hepper Oatmeal Shampoo 2-3 large bath towels Place one towel on the floor to soak up the water that will spill. Have a ‘drying room’ ready for your cat to chill out in at the end – make sure it’s warm and free of draughts. Zelda keeps her eye on the (closed) door. Get The Water Temperature Right Whether you’re using a hose attachment, faucet, or jug, it is vital to get the water temperature right. Remember that a cat’s body temperature is slightly higher than ours, so the water should feel warm, but not hot. Make sure you run the water long enough to know it won’t get hotter during the bath. If you’re using a hose-type attachment, be careful. While Clutch had no problem with the hose, Zelda’s initial struggles caused a fumble that resulted in me squirting her with the shower hose. This did not enhance her experience! Fill the tub so that it is deep enough to reach halfway up your cat’s body. This will allow you to immerse most of them in the water right away. Prepare to Get Wet Once you have checked you have everything you need, it’s go time. Pick up your cat with confident hands, but do not cuddle them tightly against you. When they spot the water, they are likely to try to escape, usually by clambering up and over you. Use the secure hold I showed you in the How To Safely Restrain A Cat video; this will allow you to more easily maneuver them into the water without having to detach their claws from your clothes or skin! Place them swiftly, but gently, into the water, being careful to keep their head and ears dry. This is when the worst of the struggling will occur, so be wary of teeth and claws, but try to maintain a confident, firm hold. Immobilizing the shoulders and guiding the hind legs to the towel or mat in the tub should enable you to keep them in the water. Keep Everyone Safe The aim here is to show your cat that you ‘mean business’ by being confident, without using excessive force – friendly but firm. If they think they can escape, they will, but if they believe you are in control, they are less likely to fight. Although I try not to let my cats scramble free, if they become extremely stressed, panicked, or aggressive, do not persevere. No bath is worth emotional or physical trauma for either of you. A firm, confident hold is vital for success. The Easy Part Once your cat has (hopefully) calmed down a bit and accepted that this bath is going to happen, use a jug or shower hose to wet them from the neck down, and lather up some shampoo. You can use your hand or a cloth to wipe over their face, but make sure no shampoo gets in their eyes, and no water goes into the ears. Make sure you rinse them thoroughly and start to drain the water from the tub. Try to squeeze excess water from their fur, and either lift them onto the waiting towel, or bring the towel to them. Give them a vigorous drying off, a huge amount of praise, and take them to a warm room to recover. Clutch, clean but unimpressed They Will Forgive You Every now and then, we all have to do things that our cats aren’t going to like, but if you’re patient, firm, and friendly, they will get over the trauma of getting wet. What causes more upset to our cats is when we shout, panic, get angry, or upset – this is what they will remember, so this is what you must avoid. You will see in my video that Zelda did not have a great time, but in the end, she calmed down a lot, and I can’t tell you with complete honesty that she was on my lap later that night. So be confident, be safe, and be prepared to get wet! The post How to Give Your Cat a Bath: Dr. Karyn’s Tips (with Video) by Dr. Karyn Kanowski BVSc MRCVS (Veterinarian) appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Books short fiction Five SFF Stories About Houses With Minds of Their Own In each of these speculative stories, houses have their own personalities, loyalties, and secrets… By Ratika Deshpande | Published on June 14, 2024 Photo by Martin Widenka [via Unsplash] Comment 1 Share New Share Photo by Martin Widenka [via Unsplash] “The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.” Piranesi, the protagonist of Susanna Clarke’s novel of the same name, says of his House. Like humans, houses have their own personalities, all wrapped up in the way they were designed and built by the architect, the way they’re decorated and reconstructed by their inhabitants, the way they’re maintained or neglected by their owners. They’re not just Kind and Beautiful, like Piranesi’s house, but also Sad and Infinite and Scary and Chatty, as in the stories below… “Do Houses Dream of Scraping the Sky?” by Jana Bianchi What happens when someone who has lived in a house for decades passes away? Our narrator’s Grandma is no more, but it’s easier to process the loss because the House that Grandma shared with Grandpa is grieving her too. There is frustration and miscommunication between the narrator and the House—rude words are spoken, doors refuse to open or close, things stay put—but, as both need to learn, there are many ways to grieve, and it is okay to take time to do so. A heartwarming, bittersweet story with a happy ending. “In the House of the Seven Librarians” by Ellen Klages When the Carnegie Library gets abandoned for a better library elsewhere, its seven librarians bring tea and soup and rugs and couches and make it their home. A baby shows up on their doorstep, and they each look after the child—called Bitsy by one, Polly by another—in their own ways. Harriet takes care of her diapers and reads her Goodnight Moon, Olive is in charge of her education, and so on. When the girl learns to read, she finally understands magic and makes her first wish upon the Library, which answers. It not only opens up an entire world of possibilities for her, literally, but also gives her places to hide from the Librarians, offers spaces to have adventures in, a safe place to cry, and, most importantly, a way to seek out more of the world. Klages weaves a magical story about family and choices and delivers a wholesome ending. “The House of Linear Change” by Oluwatomiwa Ajeigbe Ada lives in a house where things—and people—keep changing, never returning to what they used to be. Every change is linear, transforming things and people into something new, like the wand she used to have that turned into a knife she used to kill her father. She’s tied to the house—she was born there and is destined to die there, too. But she’s tired and looking for a different kind of change now, one that will let her leave the house. Will she be able to, given the binding? “In a Field of Bone-Bonnets” by Aimee Picchi The hut loves its witch. It stokes the fire to keep her warm and opens its windows to keep the place well-ventilated. As the old witch returns from another day of saving the women who need her services, she tells the hut her time is up. She has borrowed three days for it to find another witch once she dies—if it doesn’t, the house will, in a way, die too. The hut doesn’t want to go on without her, but its love for the witch prevents it from quitting. And so it sets out to find its next occupant, a task that would have been easier had the witch not left it with mystifying riddles to solve…and if the townsfolk weren’t terrified of a chicken-footed hut traveling through town. “A House Full of Voices Is Never Empty” by Miyuki Jane Pinckard Chi and her family moved across the ocean after the war ended. Their aunt died on the way, leaving Chi with a scarf she’d been wearing, a scarf that promised to support her. It wasn’t the only thing that talked to Chi—everything around the house, including the house itself, did. These objects, some of them holding memories of the dead, kept her afloat growing up, especially when her parents fell sick and only Chi remained to take care of them, while Em, her little sister, avoided being home. When she finally does visit, all Em can see is Chi living in a messy house. She suggests getting rid of it all and moving on, but Chi can’t do so. She wants Em to understand the voices, while Em wants to see her sister happy. How will they work it out, in a house that holds so much of their loved ones’ spirits? [end-mark] The post Five SFF Stories About Houses With Minds of Their Own appeared first on Reactor.